PHI-384-OL009_Ethics &Business Professional_ Application Assignment 1

This assignment focuses on comparing the Virtue Ethics of East and West,” of the Business Ethics. It also evaluates how personal and professional roles relate to one another based on Aristotelian and Confucian virtue ethics.

In order to compare the Virtue Ethics of East and West, it is first important to understand the meaning of virtue ethics. Virtue ethics is a type of moral philosophy that emphasizes the character of the ethical agent, rather than rules or consequences, as the key element in ethical decision-making. According to virtue ethics, what is important is not so much what we do, but rather how we do it. Are we motivated by selfishness or altruism? Do we act with integrity or hypocrisy? Are we courageous or cowardly? These are the sorts of questions that virtue ethicists focus on.

There are many different approaches to virtue ethics, but one of the most influential has been that of Aristotle. For Aristotle, virtues are habits or dispositions that allow us to flourish, or live a good life. The good life, for Aristotle, is one in which we realize our full potential as human beings. This means more than simply living a long time or being healthy and wealthy. It also involves leading a life of purpose and meaning, in which we use our reason and our emotions in the right way.

Of all the virtues, Aristotle singled out two as being particularly important: practical wisdom (phronesis) and moral virtue (arete). Practical wisdom is the ability to see things from a broader perspective and to make sound judgments about what is the best course of action to take in any given situation. Moral virtue, on the other hand, refers to those character traits that enable us to act in accordance with practical wisdom. So, for example, a person with the virtue of courage is someone who is not afraid to stand up for what is right, even in the face of danger.

Confucianism is an Eastern philosophical tradition that also has much to say about the importance of virtue. For Confucius, the key to a good society was the development of virtuous individuals. A virtuous person was someone who displayed the traits of humaneness (ren), righteousness (yi), ritual propriety (li), and wisdom (zhi). These virtues were not abstractions; rather, they were to be put into practice in everyday life.

The most important way in which we could develop our virtues was through education. By learning about the past and studying the classics, we could develop our characters and become more virtuous people. We could also learn from the examples of others, both good and bad.

There are some important similarities between Aristotle's and Confucius's approaches to virtue ethics. Both emphasize the importance of developing one's character and both see education as a key means of doing this. However, there are also some significant differences.